1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to an improved data processing system and in particular to a data processing system and method for an improved screen saver. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a mechanism for performing statistical analysis of screen pixels for varying the wait period for activating a screen saver.
2. Description of Related Art
Screensavers are applications that display a black image or a changing image to prevent an image from “burning” pixels of a display screen, such as a cathode ray tube (CRT) display. Pixel burn-in on CRT displays results from the screen phosphor fatiguing such that the phosphor appears faded. Screensavers typically activate automatically after a predefined idle, or wait, period during which no user activity is supplied to the computer.
It is well known that bright colors, such as white, cause pixel burnout faster than other less intense colors. It is additionally well known that screensavers consume substantial CPU power. Conventional screensavers, however, have predefined wait periods of inactivity after which activation of the screensaver results. Although a wait period may be adjusted by the user, a single wait period interval is used for activating the screensaver at any given time regardless of what is being displayed on a display screen.
It would be advantageous to provide a mechanism for dynamically varying a wait period after which a screensaver is activated in a data processing system. It would be further advantageous to provide a mechanism for dynamically varying a screensaver wait period dependent on the screen pixel colors being displayed prior to activation of the screensaver.